Devon dancers hitting Jubilee stage for Christmas classic

Local lovers of dance and classic Christmas staples will have four extra reasons to be excited about this year’s staging of The Nutcracker by the Alberta Ballet.
Four local dancers are involved in this year’s production by Canada’s third largest ballet company, set for three performances at the Jubilee Auditorium this Dec. 14-16.
Local dancers Cali McElroy, Hannah Way, Delainey Hansen and Evyn Gallant have all secured small roles. Of those four, Way, Hansen and Gallant are all students of the Devon School of Dance. The school’s instructor, Kim Ehlers, supported her students in their bid for a spot on one of Alberta’s biggest dancing stages. She helped coordinated the auditions, in early October, and went with each for moral support.
Ehlers has been teaching each of them for years and had only the highest praise for their abilities.
“They’re very hard working, and very dedicated,” said Ehlers. All three have trained in multiple disciplines, and Way and Gallant are also demonstrators, helping to train the studio’s youngest dancers. It’s the first time that dancers from the Devon School of Dance have been part of the show, and Ehlers is proud of each of their accomplishments.
“We couldn’t be happier. Whenever someone goes to an audition you always hope that they’re successful, and even if they’re not, you’re still very proud of them for being able to shoot for their dream and just go for it. Auditioning is very nervewracking, and the fact that they have the courage to follow their dreams, I was proud regardless of whether they made it or not.”
Way is playing a soldier, and Hansen and Gallant will be mice, led by the evil Mouse King.
McElroy, a Grade 5 student at Graminia Community School, is also playing a mouse. It’s her second year in the role. She said her favourite part of being involved in the show is the rehearsals and being able to watch run-throughs of the enigmatic show each week.
“Every Sunday when we rehearse, when it gets close to show week, all the soldiers and the mice and rats and the party boys and party girls would come together and we’ll do a show, and it’s just so much fun to watch,” said McElroy.
McElroy’s been dancing for seven years, since the age of four. She hopes to be a professional dancer, a goal helped along by an appearance in the classic show.
Ehlers students are also adding a significant line to their resumes. Composed in 1892 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker has become one of the world’s most popular ballets, and certainly the most popular Christmas ballet.
Performances are scheduled for evening start times each night this weekend.